May 8, 2023

Act on gun control and abortion, solidarity with unions and migrants, justice for Jordan Neely, and more!

Contact all members of Congress:

• By phone: (202) 224-3121

• By email: democracy.io

• By US mail: Representatives / Senators

• By fax: Representatives / Senators

• By Resistbot: Resist.bot

Contact White House or other federal agencies:

• usa.gov/federal-agencies

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• EVEN MORE UNNECESSARY GUN DEATHS
  Sunday’s mass shooting at a mall in Allen, Texas was the 199th mass shooting of 2023. 14,500 people have died from gun violence this year alone. This does not include the countless people who have been injured and maimed during that same time.  The NRA has had a major hand in how this has played out over the years.  They have purposely misinterpreted the 2nd Amendment. A recent Fox News poll revealed that most Americans favor gun limits to reduce gun violence. Apparently, many of our legislators are not truly representing us.  Let’s contact our federal and state legislators and share this poll information and our own thoughts on common sense gun laws. We can also join Moms Demand Action for their Mother’s Day of Action for an assault weapons ban this Saturday. We can find an event near us by texting RALLY TO 644-33, or we can sign up for a virtual phonebank from 3:00-6:00pm Eastern on May 13th here.

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• JUSTICE FOR JORDAN NEELY
  The Manhattan DA’s office is currently weighing whether to charge Daniel Penny for murdering Jordan Neely after he put him in a chokehold for 15 minutes in response to Neely, a homeless man suffering from mental illness, acting erratically on the subway. Letting Penny off the hook would encourage more violence of the kind that killed Neely and threatened the life of Ralph Yarl. Let’s reach out to the Manhattan DA’s office at 212-335-9000 and encourage DA Alvin Bragg to hold Penny accountable.

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• CALL OUT BIDEN’S DECISION TO SEND TROOPS TO THE BORDER Caving into the Republican narrative of immigrants as criminals, President Biden is sending 1500 troops to the southern border to be prepared for a possible rush of migrants seeking asylum, once Title 42 (which allows for immediate expulsion) ends with the public health emergency on Thursday, May 11th. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) said, “deploying military personnel only signals that migrants are a threat that require our nation’s troops to contain. Nothing could be further from the truth.” And the demonization of migrants, so often engaged in by Republicans like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Tucker Carlson, has consequences, as we saw in yesterday’s murder of eight men standing in front of a migrant shelter in Brownsville, Texas. Let’s tell the White House we agree with Senator Menendez, and ask our members of Congress to be mindful that their rhetoric about migrants can have deadly results.

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• SUPPORT STRIKING TEACHERS IN OAKLAND
  The writers aren’t the only ones on strike this week. Public school educators in Oakland, California has been out since Thursday, seeking pay raises, investment in historically Black community schools, mental health support for students, better services for students with disabilities, more counselors, removal of lead and asbestos in school facilities and the use of excess land owned by the district to house homeless students – what they’ve dubbed their “Common Good” agenda. The strike is set to continue today. Let’s support the Oakland Education Association by sending a message to school board members urging them to come to the table. We can also consider a donation to the Bread for Ed Fund, which helps feed students reliant on school lunches who do not want to cross the picket line.

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• POSTCARDS TO ENVIRONMENTAL VOTERS

  The Environmental Voter Project, whose mission is to transform inactive environmentalists into consistent voters, is gearing up for its next postcard campaign. This one is for the August 1, 2023 mayoral primary in Tucson, AZ. One-hour online training required—May 15, 6PM ET. Let’s register so we can qualify to send postcards to environmental voters!

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STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS

• NC – SUSTAIN THE VETO, PROTECT REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
  We have one last opportunity to stop a 12-week abortion ban in North Carolina, one that also adds burdensome new requirements that could shut down clinics and raises barriers to accessing medication abortion. Governor Roy Cooper has pledged to veto the bill, and while a party line vote in the Republican supermajority would override his veto, it will only take one GOP vote in either the House or the Senate to stop them – and several of them have pledged to protect reproductive rights in the past. Let’s reach out to Rep. John Bradford (919-733-5828 and john.bradford@ncleg.gov), Rep. Tricia Cotham (919-733-5749 and tricia.cotham@ncleg.gov), Rep. Ted Davis (919-733-5786 and ted.davis@ncleg.gov), and Senator Michael Lee (919-715-2525 and Michael.lee.@ncleg.gov), and tell them to keep their word to the voters and sustain the vote. We can also contact our own House and Senate members.
  

• PA - HELP KEEP OUR STATEHOUSE MAJORITY

  We have seen how important state elections are, especially in swing states like Pennsylvania, where the State House Democrats now hold a one-seat, 101-100 majority. However, this could change on May 16, when House Districts 108 and 163 hold special elections to fill vacancies. These elections will determine who gets majority control. All we need is to win one of these seats. We can sign up to help get out the vote on May 16 to keep our State House blue! 

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